Category Archives: Blog

Olympics protest

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Lynne Featherstone with Tibet protestorsJoined the protests earlier today – with Hornsey councillor Monica Whyte – over China’s record on Tibet and human rights as the Olympic Torch passed through London.

Free speech – and speaking out against that which we oppose – is a key part of our society, and it was great to see so many people exercising that right to speak out today – a right, of course, that China doesn’t extend to people in Tibet or China.

The Chinese Government has been repeatedly politicising the Olympics for its own ends – and yet Gordon Brown seems too timid to show any real displeasure at China’s repeated abuse of basic human rights.

Numerous other government heads have spoken and acted – but not our own. What is the point of having the privilege of holding a post such as Prime Minister if you’re not willing to use it to speak out when needed?

Three-form entry at Rhodes Avenue school?

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The news story from my main website is pretty self-explanatory:

Liberal Democrats councillors have expressed fears that the crisis over a shortage of reception places for schoolchildren in Alexandra ward is now widening out to adjacent areas.

Of the 136 children (nearly double the number in 2006) who did not receive any of their parents’ four preferences for a reception place in September, 25 came from Alexandra ward, 17 from neighbouring Muswell Hill and 14 from next-door Bounds Green ward. Together, they make up over 40% of the total, whilst the cut-off distances around popular local schools such as Rhodes Avenue and Bounds Green continue to shrink. Liberal Democrats say that action must be taken to deal with the worsening shortfall.

Cllr Gail Engert, spokesperson for children, schools and families, has been pressing Haringey Council since the summer to undertake a feasibility study on expanding Rhodes Avenue to three-form entry, which could provide an extra 30 places to allow local children a choice of a local school.

Cllr Engert comments: “This situation is going from bad to worse, while Haringey Council just turns a blind eye. Expansion may have taken place at Tetherdown, Coleridge and Coldfall primaries, but this is now history and these schools are full. The Labour Council needs to act now to make sure that increasing numbers of parents around Alexandra are not let down.”

Local MP Lynne Featherstone adds: “It is heartbreaking having to deal with local families who can’t get a place at a much loved local schools for their child. Haringey seems paralysed by inaction when it comes to dealing with the problem in this part of the Muswell Hill. It’s time Haringey Council took up the Liberal Democrat plan for three-form entry at Rhodes Avenue.”

The flaw in Labour's aviation policy

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Lynne Featherstone and local members of Friends of the EarthJoined Friends of the Earth in Muswell Hill earlier today to point out to the Government their muddle over their aviation policy.

How can they say that climate change is the biggest threat to mankind, ask us all to do our bit – and then say (as Ruth Kelly did in Parliament last week), ‘but we have to have a third runway at Heathrow’?

This sort of predict and provide approach on air travel will never deliver the sort of environmental policy we need. It’s time the Government stopped being two-faced and put its aviation policy where its environmental mouth is! (More photos here)

Nine years in a squalid and infested flat

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Lynne Featherstone and Bonnie Tarpey WronskiA mother of two who has been living in a squalid and infested one bedroom flat for nine years as her family has grown, had her dreams of a new home shattered last month by Haringey Council.

Bonnie Tarpey-Wronski, her two young sons, husband and sister, were overjoyed to hear that they had finally been allocated a new home, only to find out minutes later that Haringey Council had made a mistake and withdrawn the offer.

The flat they are currently living in has been deemed unfit to live in by Haringey Council, yet nine years on the family are continuing to live, eat and play in two overcrowded rooms, which are currently also suffering from a serious larvae infestation.

This young family has been messed around by Haringey Council – enough is enough. After what they have been through, it is sheer torment to be told one minute you have a home only for it to be taken away the next.

Day in, day out, I help lots people who have been let down by Haringey Council, but this takes it to another level. It adds insult to injury after the years of squalid housing they have had to put up with.

Local news: play areas, 603 bus and Post Offices

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Just been updating my website with news stories from the last week, and here are three highlights:

I'm looking for a new website

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I’ve decided it’s time to overhaul my blog and website (not before time you might think!): both have done sterling work for years now but are showing their age a bit. I’m looking for one integrated system to drive both, with strong preference for an open source based solution – I don’t really want to be tied into one firm’s proprietary systems.

If you’re in the website design/provision business and might be interested – do just get in touch.

PMQs: Parliament shows how out of date it is – again

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Well, well – so Vince Cable tried to ask a question at Prime Minister’s Questions today – and it was ruled out of order. His heinous offence? Mentioning the Queen in his question:

It is reported that Her Majesty the Queen cancelled her Diamond wedding party because it would be ‘inappropriate’ to indulge in extravagance when the country faces recession and economic gloom. Is this another good example of Her Majesty’s unerring instinct for the national mood; or does the Government think she is simply overreacting?

Well excuse me – but what sort of out of date organisation is it that has this sort of ban? So much for being a modern democracy!

Debt, unemployment and violence: top fears of young people

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CSV (Community Service Volunteers) have a really interesting study published today – the Youth Future Fears UK study. As they say:

Young people aged 16 – 25 across Britain were asked to rank their biggest fears for the future … The survey reveals:
• Nearly half (48%) see debt as one of their biggest future fears
• 40% are worried about unemployment
• Violent crime is a top concern for 38% of young people
• One in three (30%) are fearful for the challenge presented by global warming
• One in five (20%) are worried about increasing drug use whilst 17% fear an increase in racial tension
• 12% fear obesity, while binge drinking is a concern for 9% of Britain’s youth
• 9% are worried about an increase in sexually transmitted infections…

Regional variations include:
• Violent crime is the top concern in London for 37% of young people while debt is only a concern for 22% of those in the capital

My views? As I’ve said in a quote for the media:

No-one is saying that young people should live in a bubble, but we should be seriously concerned when they’re saddled with worries over debt, jobs and being beaten up.

This Government has been more interested in eye-catching headlines on ‘binge drinking hoodies’ than in creating real opportunities for young people.

We need to encourage more projects to harness the tremendous potential that young people have to offer our communities.

Where've you been Boris?

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So – Boris Johnson is now complaining that Ken Livingstone keeps on nicking his policy ideas. Well – though of us who have actually been involved in London over the last decade have been well used to Ken doing his magpie act year after year. This complaint says more to me about how sudden and new Boris’s interest is in London than anything else!

Ten most popular blog postings (1st quarter, 2008)

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End of another quarter – so it’s time for another top ten list. Here are the blog postings which have proved most popular with readers of my blog in the last three months:

10. The interesting case of Seb Green – the admirable way someone has reacted when things go wrong.

9. I’m the bride – at last! – blogging prize, not wedding bells. But nearly as exciting.

8. One of my favourite topics for blog postings – about winning an election! This time Rachel Allison was the much deserving winner in the Highgate by-election.

7. I’ve blogged quite extensively over the last three months about the scandals surrounding Ken Livingstone and the funding of projects in London – so no great surprise that this posting about Ethnic Mutual’s grant made it into the top ten.

6. Low Copy Number DNA – one of those postings which keeps on getting traffic as, each time there’s a crime involving DNA records, people go hunting on the internet for more about this technique.

5. Mr Speaker doesn’t speak for me – I disagree with the Speaker’s decision to try to keep things secret.

4. Lots of online coverage for me first steps using Twitter.

3. A (then) Conservative councillor calls for sterilisation of people whose lifestyles he doesn’t agree with – An appalling insult to mothers and fathers.

2. Our sexist monarchy: why in the modern world should men still be able to elbow aside women in the line of succession to the Throne?

1. And in at number one: Brian Paddick comes calling. Somewhat surprised to see this at number one as it wasn’t the most interesting or exciting posting – at least in my eyes!

(Click to see the previous top tens).